Fundraising compliance policy
Fundraising is a fundamental part of what we do – the funds raised fuel our mission to rescue, rehabilitate, release and rehome animals who need us. On this page, you’ll find our charity fundraising compliance policy, outlining the guidelines we follow to ensure we meet best practice; raising money for animal welfare responsibly, ethically and transparently.
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Purpose
This policy applies to all employees, suppliers, and volunteers involved in fundraising activities who are required to have a good understanding of this policy, adhere to it and relevant internal procedures. The internal fundraising teams need to provide entrants and suppliers who are participating to fundraise for the Society with the relevant rules and regulations that apply to their individual activity.
Scope
This policy applies to the National Society (the Society) and its affiliates that are registered under the Society’s charity number 219099 and/or under the Society’s premises. The Society sets up the standards for fundraising that support our crucial work. This policy provides guidelines on fundraising compliance and best practice as the Society strives to deliver the best possible experience to our supporters, as well as enabling us to maintain our efforts in promoting our cause transparently, ethically, and responsibly.
Roles & Responsibilities
The Fundraising Compliance Team is responsible for ensuring the policy is reviewed, updated and communicated. All staff have an obligation to be aware of and comply with this Policy.
Legal & Regulatory Framework
The Society’s fundraising activities adhere to applicable UK laws and regulations, including those related to privacy. We treat the RSPCA community fairly and with respect and aim to provide the best supporter experience at all times.
Fundraising Regulator
This policy aligns with the guidance provided by the Fundraising Regulator. As a member, the Society is committed to upholding the highest fundraising standards, adhering to the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Fundraising Practice. Displaying the Fundraising Regulator badge publicly signifies our compliance with these standards. Additionally, our approach to responsible fundraising is guided by the following six principles, as outlined by the regulator:
- Our fundraising efforts uphold our independence, impartiality, and mission.
- We conduct fundraising activities with integrity.
- We foster partnerships with those who support our cause.
- We value and respect our community.
- We approach fundraising with courage.
- We ensure transparency in our fundraising practices and the use of funds.
Charity Commission
The Society is implementing the Know Your Donor principle recommended by the Charity Commission. We make reasonable and appropriate efforts to identify individuals or entities providing us with financial support, particularly when significant sums are involved or when there is notable risk associated with the donation which is detailed in our Donation Policy.
The Society holds accountability to our supporters, whose generosity enables us to do our crucial work. We allocate our donations promptly and utilise them wisely and responsibly. We express our gratitude to our supporters in a timely and appropriate manner, and we keep them informed about the impact of their support. We will not seek or accept gifts from individuals, governments, or organisations that may use their funding relationship with the Society to deflect criticism from their involvement in any actions against animal welfare or pose a significant risk to our reputation.
Gambling Commission
The Society is licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission under account number 4663. The rules that apply to the Society Lottery and Raffle are set out in the RSPCA Gambling Policy and Lottery/Raffle How To Handbook. Full terms and conditions of these products can be found here.
Compliant Fundraising Activities
When raising funds, the Society will share our vision, work plan, and impact, aiming to engage as many supporters in England and Wales as possible. Fundraising activities do not dictate the direction of Society’s work; they enable us to carry out our mission. By donating and raising funds our supporters actively support our cause. In fundraising activities, the Society aims to promote kindness to all animals. We evaluate our campaigns against our values and behaviours. We bring animal welfare to life by sharing truthful, impactful stories that resonate emotionally; however, we aim to avoid disturbing content, misleading or unlawful disclosures. Therefore, all of the Society’s fundraising campaigns are approved by Engagement and Income Generation teams, Prosecutions, Animals in Science and Brand and other departments as appropriate.
We treat all individuals equally and fairly. We have established procedures for engaging with supporters who may be in temporary or permanent vulnerable circumstances. We market the audience appropriately, whilst taking into consideration our young supporters and those competing in events. Supporter user preferences are acknowledged and are recorded on individual records. All fundraising material clearly states how to opt-out of marketing or how to contact us.
Fundraising Compliance Team
The Fundraising Compliance Team closely monitors fundraising activities to ensure compliance with this policy, the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Practice, Advertising Standards Authority Code, Gambling Commission’s Rules and internal procedures and controls. The purpose of the Fundraising Compliance team is to provide guidance, rules, training, information, frameworks and to promote best practice for the Society to remain compliant with all UK laws and regulations.
Stakeholders’ responsibilities
Engagement and Income Generation
All staff who are directly or indirectly involved in fundraising activities, whether they are full-time or part-time, are required to acknowledge this Fundraising Compliance Policy and adhere to relevant internal procedures. They should also have an awareness of the Fundraising Regulator Code of Practice, Gambling Commission Rules (LCCP) and Guidance, ASA Codes of Broadcast and Non-broadcast Advertising and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.
Third-Party Fundraising
On occasion, we may enter into commercial agreements with third-party organisations to raise funds. Therefore, third-party fundraising will be the subject for our due diligence checks and monitoring as well as third-parties adherence to our internal policies and procedures. This means we strive to use materials, products, and services that offer the best value while safeguarding our reputation, managing risks, and prioritising collaboration with organisations that fundraise on our behalf.
Vulnerable people and children
Staff members must take reasonable steps to assess if a supporter or member of the public is able to make an informed decision about donating to the Society. If a supporter is unable to make an informed decision, the staff member must not accept the donation. The Society ensures staff awareness and is able to recognise signs of vulnerability. The Society does not accept donations from individuals who are under the age of 18 in order to remain compliant with legal requirements. The Society only accepts contributions from those who are under 18 by way of fundraising for the Society such as participating in events where the point of contact and donor’s status will still be held by their parent/guardian. Those who are under 18 will not be opted into marketing consent.
Complaints
The Customer Engagement Team is committed to respond to all fundraising complaints received from supporters and members of the public. They are responded to in a timely, respectful, open, and honest manner. This is in accordance with the Fundraising Code of Practice and the internal procedure. The Society reports the fundraising complaints received from supporters and members of the public to the FR Regulator in the Annual Complaints Return and these figures are also published in the RSPCA Annual Review.
Fundraising complaints procedure
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If you would like to raise a complaint about our fundraising activities, you can contact our Customer Engagement Team to submit it in the following ways:
- By emailing the Customer Engagement Team at supportercare@rspca.org.uk
- Or write to us: RSPCA Customer Engagement, Parkside, Chart Way, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 1GY
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Once we receive your complaint:
- We will formally acknowledge your complaint within 10 working days.
- If a full response cannot be provided within 10 working days, we will carry out a review or investigation and provide a full and final written response within a maximum of 20 working days from the date of acknowledgement.
If, for any reason, we need more time to investigate your complaint, we will keep you informed and explain the reasons for the delay.
We aim to resolve all complaints in a timely, open, respectful and honest manner. -
If you are not satisfied with the final response you receive from our Customer Engagement Team, you may choose to refer your complaint to the Fundraising Regulator. Before the Fundraising Regulator looks into your complaint, they will inquire as to whether you have allowed us the opportunity to respond to your complaint through our internal process above first.
The Fundraising Regulator oversees charities’ compliance with the Code of Fundraising Practice and can review complaints about fundraising where the complainant and the charity have been unable to reach a resolution.
Further information about submitting a complaint can be found on the Fundraising Regulator’s website: https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/service/complaints-and-investigations/make-complaint -
We value all feedback and use complaints as an opportunity to review and improve our fundraising practices to ensure that they meet the highest standards of transparency, accountability, and respect for our supporters.
For information on how we process your data, please see our Privacy notice.
Artificial Intelligence in Fundraising
Due to the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Society must ensure compliance with the Code of Fundraising Practice if AI is used in any fundraising activity. Fundraising teams are responsible for ensuring that the use of AI does not mislead the public and that all fundraising communications remain accurate, fair, and consistent with the Society’s values.